Tongzhi (同志, tóngzhì) is a term which literally means "same will" or "same purpose" in Chinese. Idiomatically, it means "comrade". It has taken on various meanings in various contexts since the 20th century. The term was introduced into modern Chinese by Sun Yixian as a way of describing his followers. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, "tongzhi" was used to mean "comrade" in the Communist sense. In recent years, however, this meaning of the term has fallen out of common usage, except within Communist Party discourse and among people of older generations.